Human Rights
Thousands Of Iranians Sign Petition Chiding Authorities For Treatment Of Teachers
Thousands of Iranians, including active and retired teachers and cultural figures, have added their signatures to an online petition critical of the government and calling for the release of scores of educators who have been imprisoned in recent months for their support of protesters demanding more freedoms.
The campaign, initiated by cultural figures across the country, is characterized as a "civil action" and a "small yet vital step" toward liberating the more than 230 teachers and their union activists to have been detained by security agents .
It said that as of July 17, more than 13,000 signatures had been received and that several teachers union associations, including those from Tehran, Markazi, North Khorasan, Kurdistan, and Islamshahr, have voiced their support for the campaign as well.
According to the campaign's official statement, the government's engagement with educators has been marked by "violence and oppressive measures."
It criticizes prison sentences handed to protesting teachers in various provinces, and chides the government for initiating legal proceedings that have resulted in dismissals, forced retirements, and expulsions for hundreds more teachers nationwide.
Unrest -- including several protests by teachers -- has rattled Iran since last summer in response to declining living standards, wage arrears, and a lack of welfare support. Labor law in Iran does not recognize the right of workers to form independent unions.
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody in September for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly breathed new life into the unrest, which officials across the country have tried to quell with harsh -- and sometimes deadly -- measures. Universities and other educational and cultural centers have been the sites for many of the protests.
The campaign initially started with 1,200 teachers penning a letter to the head of the judiciary calling for the immediate release of imprisoned teachers and trade union activists and demanded an end to the security confrontations with teachers.
When the judiciary and the presidential office reportedly declined to acknowledge the letter, the campaign was widened by taking it public.
According to activists, more than 11 teacher trade union rights leaders, including notable figures such as Esmail Abdi, Rasol Badaghi, Farzaneh Nazaranpour, and Jafar Ebrahimi, are currently serving prison sentences or under temporary arrest.
The activist HRANA news agency says that more than 500 people have been killed during the unrest, including 71 minors, as security forces try to stifle widespread dissent.
Thousands have been arrested in the clampdown, with the judiciary handing down harsh sentences -- including the death penalty -- to protesters.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
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Germany Recalls Iran Envoy After Execution Of German-Iranian
Germany has recalled its ambassador to Tehran following the execution of Jamshid Sharmahd after his conviction on disputed terrorism charges and summoned Iran's envoy to Berlin to answer questions about the death of the 69-year-old Iranian-German citizen.
The Mizan news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's judiciary, reported that the death sentence against Sharmahd was carried out on October 28 "after final confirmation of the court's decision by the Supreme Court.”
In a trial last year that was dismissed as a sham by Germany, the United States, and rights groups, Sharmahd was accused by Iran of heading a pro-monarchist group that Tehran claims was behind a 2008 bombing of a mosque in Shiraz in which 14 people were killed and of planning other attacks in the country.
The dual citizen's family has dismissed the accusations as "ridiculous."
Germany's Foreign Ministry has denounced Sharmahd's "murder" and said German Ambassador Markus Potzel has been recalled. Before being recalled, Potzel also met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi to protest the killing in "the strongest terms," the ministry said.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said Sharmahd's killing showed that an "inhumane regime rules in Tehran" and vowed that it "would have serious consequences."
Araqchi on October 29 lashed out on X at Baerbock, saying, "A German passport does not provide impunity to anyone, let alone a terrorist criminal," adding, "Enough with the gaslighting, Analena Baerbock."
Separately, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's office said on October 29 that Iranian Ambassador to Berlin Mahmud Farazandeh had been summoned by the German government to answer questions about Sharmahd's death.
The U.S. State Department referred to Iran's treatment of Sharmahd, who also had U.S. residency, as “reprehensible” and described his judicial proceedings as a “sham trial.”
"We have long made clear that we oppose the way Iran carries out executions, often in a way that fundamentally violates human rights,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on October 28.
The director of the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, called the execution "a case of extrajudicial killing of a hostage aimed at covering up the recent failures of the hostage-takers of the Islamic republic."
Germany Condemns Iran's 'Inhumane Regime' After Execution Of Iranian-German National
Germany’s foreign minister on October 28 condemned Iran's “inhumane regime” after the execution of Iranian-German national Jamshid Sharmahd following his conviction on disputed terrorism charges.
The Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's judiciary, reported that the death sentence against Sharmahd was carried out on October 28 "after final confirmation of the court's decision by the Supreme Court.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock strongly condemned the Iranian regime for executing the 69-year-old Sharmahd, saying in a statement that it “shows once again what kind of inhumane regime rules in Tehran: a regime that uses death against its youth, its own population, and foreign nationals."
Baerbock added that Berlin had repeatedly made clear "that the execution of a German national would have serious consequences."
Sharmahd, who also had U.S. residency, was accused by Iran of heading a pro-monarchist group that Tehran believes was behind a deadly 2008 bombing and of planning other attacks in the country.
Fourteen Iranians were killed and 210 others wounded in the attack at the Sayyid al-Shuhada Husseiniya mosque in Shiraz during a ceremony to mourn the death of Imam Hussein, the third imam of Shi'a Muslims.
Iran's Intelligence Ministry accused Sharmahd of planning the bombing, a charge his family dismissed as "ridiculous."
The U.S. State Department referred to Iran's treatment of Sharmahd as “reprehensible” and described his judicial proceedings as a “sham trial.”
"We have long made clear that we oppose the way Iran carries out executions, often in a way that fundamentally violates human rights,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on October 28.
Sharmahd was detained under unclear circumstances and accused by the Iranian Intelligence Ministry of being a member of the Iranian opposition group Kingdom Assembly of Iran, or Tondar.
Based in Los Angeles, Tondar says it aims to overthrow the Islamic republic and reestablish a monarchy similar to that of Cyrus the Great. It runs pro-Iranian opposition radio and television stations abroad, as well as social media channels.
The director of the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, called the execution "a case of extrajudicial killing of a hostage aimed at covering up the recent failures of the hostage-takers of the Islamic republic."
"Jamshid Sharmahd was kidnapped in the United Arab Emirates and unlawfully transferred to Iran, where he was sentenced to death without a fair trial," Amiry-Moghaddam said in a statement.
The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights said: "The unlawful abduction of Sharmahd, his subsequent torture in custody, the unfair show trial, and today's execution are exemplary of the countless crimes of the Iranian regime."
His family long maintained his innocence and say he was seized by Iranian authorities while traveling through the U.A.E.
Sharmahd's daughter, Gazelle Sharmahd, last year said her father was barely able to walk and talk due to health conditions that prison authorities failed to properly treat. She said then that her father suffered from Parkinson's disease.
With reporting by AFP and AP
Imprisoned Iranian Nobel Laureate Moved To Hospital, Husband Says
Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner and rights activist, has been moved to a Tehran hospital after suffering health issues for more than two months, her husband said on October 27. “After nearly nine weeks of medical denial, Narges Mohammadi has finally been hospitalized thanks to the support of civil and human rights activists, the Free Narges Coalition, and pressure from the global community and media,” Taghi Rahmani wrote on X. Rahmani, who is living in Paris, added that the delay, “along with years of imprisonment and solitary confinement, have caused serious harm to Narges’s health.” Mohammadi, 52, has been in and out of prison for the past 20 years. She is currently serving a 12-year sentence in Tehran's Evin prison for "spreading propaganda."
The Azadi Briefing: Calls For Probe Into Reported Killing Of Afghan Migrants On Iran Border
Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.
I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
The Key Issue
The United Nations and international rights groups have called for an investigation into reports that Iranian border guards fired on and killed Afghan migrants seeking to cross into Iran from Pakistan.
Local reports and rights groups say the incident occurred on October 13 in the Saravan district of Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, an impoverished and volatile region.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan says it has launched an investigation. Iranian officials have denied that the incident took place.
Haalvsh, a Baluch rights group, said gunshots and rocket-propelled grenades fired by Iranian forces killed dozens of Afghans. RFE/RL was unable to independently verify the group's claim.
Videos posted on social media appeared to show images of dozens of corpses wrapped in white cloth strewn on the road. RFE/RL was unable to independently verify the veracity of the video.
Taj Mohammad, a resident of the northern province of Balkh, said his cousin was killed in the incident. "We want international organizations and the government in Afghanistan to probe this incident," he told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.
Jamaluddin, another resident of Balkh, said his son was killed in the incident. "The [Taliban] government does not ask and does nothing."
Why It's Important: Millions of Afghan migrants and refugees have fled to Iran -- either through Afghanistan or Pakistan -- since the collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government and the Taliban's seizure of power in 2021.
Many Afghans in Iran have complained of increasing violence and harassment at the hands of Iranian authorities, who have deported over 1 million Afghans in the past year.
Richard Bennett, the UN special human rights rapporteur in Afghanistan, said on X that he was "seriously concerned" about the reports and urged Iran to "investigate transparently."
"Clarity is urgently needed. These reports don't stand in isolation. More dignity and safety is needed for Afghans worldwide," he said on October 16.
What's Next: If the incident is confirmed, Iran is likely to face international pressure over its treatment of the estimated 4 million Afghans living in the Islamic republic.
The incident could also strain ties between the Taliban and Iran. The sides have engaged in deadly border clashes in recent years.
What To Keep An Eye On
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has warned of rapidly rising malnutrition among Afghan children.
The world's largest humanitarian network said on October 17 that clinics in the country were recording "alarming" cases of acute child malnutrition.
The cases are much more frequent among communities suffering from falling incomes, climate-induced natural disasters, and the consequences of decades of fighting, it said.
"The scale of malnutrition in our country is staggering," said Mohammad Nabi Burhan, secretary-general of the Afghan Red Crescent Society. "Severe acute malnutrition can be fatal if left untreated."
In May, Save the Children warned that three out of 10 -- or some 6.5. million Afghan children --will suffer from "crisis or emergency levels of hunger" this year.
According to the UN children agency, UNICEF, some 815,000 children from six months to 5 years old were admitted for "severe wasting," meaning their body parts had become weaker because of malnutrition.
Why It's Important: Afghanistan is the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
As international funding recedes, an increasing number of Afghan children are likely to die of malnutrition and diseases.
That's all from me for now.
Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org
Until next time,
Abubakar Siddique
If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.
- By RFE/RL
HRW Condemns New 'Repressive' Iranian Law On Dress Codes
Human Rights Watch has condemned Iran’s controversial new law that increases prison terms and fines for women and girls who breach the country's strict dress code in the wake of the mass Women, Life, Freedom protests that followed the death of a young woman while in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation.
The Hijab and Chastity law mandates sentences of up to 10 years in prison for those who are deemed to be dressed “inappropriately” in public.
The law, which was approved by parliament in September 2023, came into force after its approval by the Guardians Council, a conservative legal body.
“Rather than responding to the Woman, Life, Freedom movement with fundamental reforms, the autocratic government is trying to silence women with even more repressive dress laws,” said Nahid Naghshandi, acting Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch.
The hijab became compulsory for women and girls over the age of 9 in 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
For women, unacceptable coverings are defined as “revealing or tight clothing, or clothing that shows parts of the body lower than the neck or above the ankles or above the forearms,” according to the new law.
For men, it has been defined as “revealing clothing that shows parts of the body lower than the chest or above the ankles, or shoulders.”
Naghshandi warned that the new law “will only breed fierce resistance and defiance among women in and outside Iran.”
The renewed focus on the mandatory hijab came after Iran was swept by monthslong mass protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police in 2022 for an alleged hijab violation.
Iranian Rapper Tataloo Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison
Amirhossein Maghsoudloo, a popular and controversial Iranian rapper known by his stage name Tataloo, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on a variety of charges, a judiciary spokesman said on October 13.
Court spokesman Asghar Jahangir told a news conference that the performer had been sentenced to five years on charges of insulting sanctities and 10 years for encouraging corruption and prostitution.
It was not immediately clear if the sentences would run concurrently or consecutively. Jahangir said he would be required to begin his sentence immediately.
Tataloo's works -- considered provocative and Western in style -- are not officially permitted in the country, with authorities saying he lacks pertinent certificates from the Culture Ministry.
Hard-liners in Iran often condemn performers who they accuse of offending the conservative Islamic nation's moral standards and corrupting the youth.
Tataloo, 36, who at times has used his music to criticize Iran's human rights record, had lived in Istanbul since 2018 but was extradited to Iran by Turkish authorities in December 2023. He has been detained in Iran since his extradition.
Tataloo's trial began in March on charges of promoting obscenity, publishing propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and disseminating obscene content.
In a statement last month, the case investigator cited Tataloo's expression of regret, stating the rapper had written a repentance letter while also expressing his desire to marry, start a family, and pursue music in a more accepted manner.
The information could not be verified, but the admission, if true, likely saved the performer from a much harsher potential sentence.
The rapper, known for blending rap, pop, and R&B and for his distinctive tattoos, has been a polarizing figure in Iran.
He previously released a song in support of Iran's nuclear rights, which coincided with the breakdown of a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
In 2020, Instagram shut down the rapper's account after activists and Instagram users reported him for inappropriate posts asking underage girls to join his "team" for sex.
Tataloo had been briefly jailed in 2013 for distribution of his banned music to foreign-based satellite channels and for two months in 2016 for insulting a judge during a court hearing.
Iranian media reported in December 2023 that Turkish police had arrested Tataloo on charges of insulting members and staff of the consulate in Istanbul over a complaint by the Iranian consulate.
Fars News Agency reported that Tatlou was charged with setting up a gambling house; encouraging, enticing or threatening people to obtain or facilitate pornographic content; inciting and persuading people, especially the younger generation, to commit crimes against chastity and sexual deviance; and encouraging people to commit corruption and prostitution.
With reporting from ISNA and dpa
Iran's Supreme Court Overturns Activist Mohammadi's Death Sentence, Lawyer Says
The Iranian Supreme Court has lifted the death sentence against imprisoned labor activist Sharifeh Mohammadi and referred her case "for reconsideration," her lawyer said on October 12. Mohammadi, 45, was sentenced to death in July, accused of membership in an independent labor union and a banned Kurdish separatist group based in neighboring Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region. Her family has said she was not affiliated with any political organization inside or outside the country. The sentence sparked widespread condemnation from civil and political activists. Lawyer Amir Raeesian told the Sharq news outlet that the Supreme Court "overturned the sentence of my client...and referred the case to the same branch for reconsideration." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.
On Amini Death Anniversary, Iran's Jailed Nobel Winner Mohammadi Urges Action Against 'Gender Apartheid'
Imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi issued a plea on September 16 to coincide with the second anniversary of the death in police custody of Iranian-Kurdish student Mahsa Amini for international institutions and people to act to end the oppression of women in Iran and under other theocratic and authoritarian regimes.
Mohammadi said in the letter from Tehran's notorious Evin prison -- published via her foundation -- that "on the second anniversary of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement, we reaffirm our commitment to achieving democracy, freedom, and equality and to defeating theocratic despotism."
A mother of two and former journalist previously jailed for her criticisms, Mohammadi worked alongside fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi at the Defenders Of Human Rights Center for years before a series of detentions and convictions beginning in 2010 and continuing through her current lengthy sentence and reports of further prosecution for activities while in custody.
"I urge the United Nations to end its silence and inaction in the face of the devastating oppression and discrimination by theocratic and authoritarian governments against women by criminalizing gender apartheid," Mohammadi said in the statement.
"The liberation of women from the grip of oppression and discrimination is essential for empowering the force that drives peace and democracy."
In a joint statement issued on September 16 to mark the anniversary, the United States, Canada, Australia, Britain, and New Zealand said: "We stand with women and girls in Iran, and Iranian human rights defenders, across all segments of society in their ongoing daily fight for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
"We call on the new Iranian administration to fulfil its pledge to ease pressure on civil society in Iran and to end the use of force to enforce the hijab requirement."
During a news conference on September 16, Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian claimed he would use his authority to ensure that morality police do not "bother" women.
"Morality police were not supposed to confront [women]. I will follow up so they don't bother" them, he said, although it remains unclear how much authority he would actually have to make changes.
The 22-year-old Amini died on September 16, 2022, in a hospital after eyewitnesses and her family alleged she had been beaten while in police custody.
Amini's death sparked some of the largest-ever street protests against Iran's clerical leadership since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Women, Life, Freedom movement has persisted, despite the jailings of critics like Mohammadi and a harsh clampdown on dissent.
Sources close to Amini's parents told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that Iranian authorities had "surrounded" the family home in the town of Saghez ahead of the anniversary and ordered them to remain at home or face arrest, in addition to other reported measures to guard against public demonstrations of sympathy.
Amini's father, Amjad Amini, on September 15 expressed gratitude for Kurdish, Iranian, and other efforts to mount labor strikes to mark the anniversary.
Iranian authorities, who cracked down on the family and others a year ago, have sought to avoid public acknowledgement of the anniversary.
"In these two difficult and agonizing years, although the wounds have left marks on the bodies of those exhausted and tormented by oppression, discrimination, and tyranny, and despite the challenging road ahead, we all know that nothing is as it was before," Mohammadi said in her statement.
Family members of some of those killed in the state crackdown on the protests have been also arrested in recent weeks, and others, especially in Iran's Kurdistan, have been summoned by authorities.
The Narges Mohammadi Foundation said on September 15 that 34 female prisoners at Evin went on hunger strike to commemorate Amini's death at the hands of the morality police and mark the birth of the related rights movement.
Wary Of Iranian Restrictions, Mahsa Amini's Family Plans To Mark Death Anniversary
The family of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian-Kurdish woman whose death while in police custody in 2022 sparked the Women, Life, Freedom protest movement, hopes to mark her second death anniversary -- if allowed by Iranian authorities.
In a message sent to RFE/RL's Radio Farda on September 12, Amjad Amini said they were going to mark the occasion at the cemetery where his daughter is buried in response to calls from people wanting to pay tribute.
"We, the family of Mahsa Jina Amini, like all the grieving families across Iran, wish to exercise our right to hold a traditional and religious ceremony in memory of our beloved, marking the anniversary of her passing," he said in an audio message.
Amini said last year they were unable to hold a public gathering because the authorities blocked access to the Aichi cemetery in Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, where his daughter is buried.
"If such restrictions are not imposed this year, the anniversary ceremony will take place on September 15, in response to the many requests we have received from the honorable and dear people," he added.
Last year, Amini was briefly detained on his daughter's death anniversary and the whole family were barred from leaving home.
The 22-year-old died on September 16, 2022. However, because the leap year is marked on different dates on the Iranian and Gregorian calendars, the anniversary this year falls on September 15.
Amini was arrested in Tehran on September 13, 2022, while visiting the Iranian capital with her family. She was detained by Iran's "morality police" for allegedly improperly wearing her hijab, or head scarf. Within hours of her detention, she was hospitalized in a coma and died on September 16.
The protests that followed lasted for months, spreading from city to city and drawing men and women into the streets. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights estimates more than 500 protesters were killed as the authorities cracked down on the unrest.
At least 10 men have been executed in relation to the protests for alleged involvement in attacks on security forces during the demonstrations.
Ahead of the anniversary of Amini's death last year, the authorities stepped up pressure against family members of those killed, including through arrests, summons for questioning, and warnings against them holding memorial events in honor of Amini or their loved ones.
- By RFE/RL
HRW: Iran Death In Custody A Chance For New President To Challenge 'Gross Impunity'
International rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) says reports of a detainee death in custody are a chance for Iran's recently inaugurated President Masud Pezeshkian to demonstrate a commitment to holding security forces to account for alleged abuses. In an e-mailed statement, HRW noted Pezeshkian's instructions to Iran's interior minister to establish an investigation into Mohammad Mirmusavi's death in late August after he was picked up in connection with a street brawl in Lahijan and allegedly tortured. "Mirmusavi's reported death under torture poses a critical choice for President Pezeshkian of whether to continue to allow gross impunity for security forces or to actually credibly investigate and hold any perpetrators accountable," HRW said. Pezeshkian won the election in July after running as a reformer and was sworn in on July 30 to replace hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi, who died along with Iran's foreign minister in a helicopter crash near the border with Azerbaijan in May.
- By Kian Sharifi and
- Diako Alavi
Rising Number Of Iranian Women Sentenced To Death Amid Surge In Executions
What do an Iranian aid worker, a labor activist, a political campaigner, and a protester have in common?
All four are women who have been charged in Iran with armed rebellion against the state -- which carries the death sentence -- in recent months.
Two of them -- aid worker Pakhshan Azizi and labor activist Sharifeh Mohammadi -- have already been sentenced to death. Political activist Varisheh Moradi and protester Nasim Gholami Simiyari are awaiting their sentences.
Besides Simiyari, all the women have been accused of being members of opposition Kurdish groups outside Iran. Azizi and Moradi are both members of Iran's Kurdish minority, which has long been suppressed.
There has been a rise in the number of women sentenced to death and executed since unprecedented antiestablishment protests erupted in 2022 following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian-Kurdish woman.
Fear Of Execution
Mohammadi, the labor activist, was sentenced to death in July. She was accused of membership in an independent labor union and a banned Kurdish separatist group based in neighboring Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
Her family has said she was not affiliated with any political organization inside or outside the country.
Mohammadi's cousin, Vida Mohammadi, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that she was tortured in prison following her arrest in December and that she had spent several months in solitary confinement.
Moradi, the Kurdish political activist, was arrested in August 2023.
She was accused of being a member of the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), the Iranian offshoot of Turkey's Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and a U.S.-designated terrorist group.
Azizi, the aid worker, was also arrested in August 2023 and accused of membership in PJAK, which she has denied. She was sentenced to death in July.
She spent time in Iraqi Kurdistan as well as in northeastern Syria, home to the Arab country's Kurdish minority, to help people displaced by the civil war and the fight against the Islamic State extremist group.
In a letter written from prison before her conviction, Azizi said working in refugee camps in Syria "could have been one of the biggest moral contributions to a society that has been oppressed for years."
She also denied membership in opposition groups, adding, "So whoever spends time [in Syria's Kurdish-majority region] is a member of PKK?"
Simiyari, the protester, was accused of taking part in the antiestablishment protests in 2022. She was arrested in May 2023. She has said she was tortured in prison and held in solitary confinement for prolonged periods.
'Silencing Dissent'
Human rights groups have condemned what they have called trumped-up charges against the four women.
Iranian activists say the charge of armed rebellion against the state is often used by the authorities against political prisoners and dissidents.
"Faced with a women's movement in Iran that refuses to back down, Islamic Republic authorities are now trying to threaten these women with the gallows, in a desperate attempt to silence dissent," said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).
Rights groups have repeatedly accused Iran of using the death penalty to instill fear in society in the wake of the 2022 protests.
Saeid Dehghan, a prominent Iranian human rights lawyer, said the four women have been charged with armed rebellion even though "they did not possess any weapons, and no weapons have been seized or recorded in their case."
"The activities of these citizens were civil in nature and had no connection to a rebellion against the 'foundation of the Islamic republic,' let alone being armed to justify the charge of rebellion," he said.
Activists fear the four women could be the next victims of Iran's surge in executions.
At least 345 people have been executed so far this year, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group.
CHRI said the fact that two of the women are Kurds reflected the "Islamic republic's continued disproportionate use of the death penalty against the country's minorities."
Iran's Kurdistan region was the scene of some of the most violent crackdowns during the 2022 protests.
In recent years, Tehran has upped the ante in its efforts to go after exiled opposition Iranian-Kurdish groups that it considers to be terrorist organizations.
- By RFE/RL
Iran Summons Veteran Rights Lawyer To Prison For Signing Letter Against Political Executions
Iranian authorities have issued a summons for the reimprisonment of 76-year-old human rights lawyer Mohammad Seifzadeh despite his ailing health, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said on August 14. Seifzadeh was summoned to Tehran's notorious Evin prison in mid-August on charges of "propaganda against the state" and "publishing falsehoods" for signing a joint letter by 45 Iranian activists calling on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to speak out against political executions in Iran, CHRI said, adding that this was a "politically motivated attack."
Five Iranian Women's Rights Activists Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison
Five Iranian women's rights activists were sentenced cumulatively to more than 20 years in prison, sources told RFE/RL. Nina Golestani, Anahita Hejazi, Anahita Dostdar, Rosita Rajaei, and Nagin Adalatkhah were arrested in the northern city of Rasht in November alongside other women activists. They were sentenced to three years and six months each for "assembly and collusion" and seven months and 16 days each for "propaganda against the regime." Rasht witnessed widespread protests during the "Women, Life, Freedom" demonstrations following the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, who was arrested for allegedly wearing her head scarf improperly. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Winner Among Several Women Injured In Prison Protest Against Executions, Family Says
Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi and other women inmates in Tehran's Evin prison were injured earlier this week in clashes that erupted after a spate of executions, Mohammadi’s family says.
Mohammadi’s husband, Taghi Rahmani, said Mohammadi suffered breathing problems and severe chest pain after being punched in the chest and was transferred to the prison's clinic.
Rahmani, who spoke by phone to RFE/RL from Paris, said several women came under attack by guards during the clashes on August 6. Mohammadi was hit in her chest, and her arm was bruised, he said.
The injured women were later taken to the prison clinic for treatment and were returned to their ward.
Rahmani said the news agency of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps claimed the clash was a riot, but he said it should be made clear that it was a protest in which the women in Evin prison chanted in the prison yard against the death penalty.
He added that he and the rest of Mohammadi’s family were worried about her health especially because she was hit in the chest. Mohammadi had surgery for blocked arteries in 2022.
Rahmani added that Mohammadi, who is renowned as a staunch advocate for the Women, Life, Freedom movement, cannot contact her sister in Iran and she hasn’t been allowed to contact her children for 2 1/2 years. She also has had no contact with her lawyer.
"These restrictions make all of us worried about her situation in that ward where other women are also facing difficult conditions," Rahmani told RFE/RL.
Before Rahmani spoke with RFE/RL, Mohammadi's family issued a statement about the clash on August 8. It said several women who stood in front of the security forces were severely beaten.
It said the women in Evin prison had been actively protesting against executions in Iran, and following the execution of Reza Rasaei, several prisoners gathered in the prison yard to voice their dissent, chanting slogans against the death penalty.
One woman suffered a nervous breakdown and passed out and another prisoner also fainted from the emotional strain, the statement said, adding that Mohammadi and several other prisoners protested against the locked doors that were preventing the critically ill inmates from being taken to the prison clinic.
Iranian authorities acknowledged a confrontation took place on August 6 but blamed Mohammadi for a "provocation" and denied any of the prisoners had been beaten.
Two prisoners "had heart palpitations due to the stress," but medical examinations determined that their general condition "is favorable," Iran's prison administration said in a statement, according to the Tasnim news agency.
Mohammadi, 52, has been campaigning for human rights in Iran for decades and has been in and out of prison for the last 20 years. She has been convicted five times since March 2021 and is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for "spreading propaganda" against the Islamic republic.
The executions that took place this week drew outrage from rights groups. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said 29 people were executed at two prisons in the Tehran satellite city of Karaj on August 7 alone.
Rasaei, 34, was the 10th man executed by Iran in connection with the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests that erupted after the death of a woman in police custody. The Iranian judiciary said Rasaei was executed on August 6.
With reporting by AFP
Outrage After Teen Afghan Refugee Pinned To Ground By Iranian Police
A video of an Afghan teenager allegedly being violently pinned to the ground by Iranian police on August 5 has gone viral, sparking regional outrage. The family of Sayed Mahdi Musavi, 16, say he has hearing and speech disorders and couldn't hear the police officers properly when approached.
Back To Black: Iranian Woman Jailed After Amy Winehouse Performance
Incredible footage has emerged from Iran showing a woman, defying the law by not wearing a mandatory head scarf, singing the Amy Winehouse hit Back To Black on the streets of Tehran. The woman, Zara Esmaili, has now been jailed.
Jailed Iranian Activist Goes On Hunger Strike To Protest New Charges
Iranian political prisoner Shakila Monfared has started a hunger strike in protest against two new charges, her brother Ashkan Monfared said on July 31.
Monfared, 31, was on medical furlough when officers arrested her a day before her leave was set to end, her brother wrote on X, adding that she was “beaten” during her arrest.
She has been charged with “destruction” and “disturbing public order.”
Monfared, who is currently held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, was first convicted of “insulting sanctities” and “propaganda against the establishment” in 2020 and sentenced to just over four years in prison.
In 2021, while still in prison, she was handed two years and eight months in jail for allegedly being a “member of anti-establishment groups.”
Earlier this year, she was given an additional 15 months in prison after being convicted of having “links to opposition elements.”
Rights groups say the charges are “fabricated” and insist she has only engaged in peaceful dissent against the Islamic republic.
In April 2022, she went on a hunger strike and refused to take her medication after prison authorities refused her request to be taken to a hospital outside the prison.
That same year, she accused the authorities in Qarchak prison of compelling several prisoners to threaten to kill her and went on a days-long hunger strike after her complaints were ignored.
Monfared’s brother said appeals and requests to the judiciary to investigate the new cases that have been brought against his sister “have hit a dead-end.”
U.S.-based nonprofit Freedom House has given Iran a low score of 11 out of 100, noting that it is not a free country.
In its most recent annual report, the organization said many “remain in prison for peacefully challenging the clerical establishment and criticizing human rights abuses.”
Iranian Grammy Award-Winning Singer Ordered To Start Prison Sentence
An Iranian court has ordered Grammy Award winner Shervin Hajipour to begin his prison sentence for making the viral song Baraye, according to a July 30 Instagram post. The song became the anthem of the Women, Life, Freedom protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Hajipour said on Instagram that his almost four-year sentence was upheld by an Iranian appeals court, which claimed the song incited people to “kill and fight.” While Hajipour is no longer barred from leaving Iran, he said he will go back to prison rather than leave the country. He was previously arrested in September 2022.
Iran Sees Rise In Executions After Presidential Election
Dozens of people have been put to death in Iran over the past week, after a lull in executions during the recent presidential election period. According to reports by foreign-based Iranian rights groups, at least 30 prisoners convicted of murder or narcotics offenses were hanged in various prisons between July 20 and July 27. Rights groups had said that the number of executions had dropped in the first half of the year, attributing it to the presidential election. They warned, however, that executions would pick up after the vote. Reformist lawmaker Masud Pezeshkian won the July 5 run-off election and took office on July 28. To read the full story by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, click here.
The Azadi Briefing: Afghans Complain Of Rising Abuse In Iran
Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.
I'm Abubakar Siddique, senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
The Key Issue
Afghan refugees and migrants have complained of rising harassment and abuse in neighboring Iran.
This week, banners appeared to be hung in a neighborhood in Tehran, the Iranian capital, demanding that Afghans leave. It was unclear if locals or the authorities were behind the move.
It came after Iranian media reported on July 18 that a local man was allegedly stabbed to death by his Afghan neighbors.
Last week, the homes of several Afghan migrants in the southern city of Khur were reportedly set on fire in apparent retaliation for the killing of an Iranian man, allegedly by an Afghan.
Why It's Important: Anti-Afghan sentiment in Iran has been on the rise in recent years, especially after a mass influx of refugees and migrants following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
Tehran has long blamed Afghans for insecurity and unemployment in Iran, and expelled many members of the community.
An estimated 4.3 million Afghans currently live in Iran, according to the United Nations. More than 1 million have been deported in the past year.
Human rights groups have also documented a sharp rise in the number of Afghans executed in Iran so far this year.
What's Next: As anti-Afghan sentiment rises in Iran, members of the community are likely to be the targets of more discrimination and abuse.
It is unclear if the ill-treatment of Afghans in Iran will discourage others from moving to the Islamic republic.
Hundreds of Afghans are believed to be illegally entering Iran every week to escape Taliban rule and the devastating humanitarian and economic crises in Afghanistan.
What To Keep An Eye On
A growing number of Afghans affected by natural disasters are leaving for neighboring countries.
Afghanistan has been the scene of severe droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events in recent years.
"I was forced to move to Iran after the earthquakes," Hassanzada, a resident of the western Afghan city of Herat, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.
A series of tremors last year killed at least 1,000 people and affected more than 100,000 in and around Herat.
But survivors said the lack of aid and financial assistance forced them to leave the country.
Why It's Important: Afghanistan remains among the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of global warming and climate change.
In the latest natural disaster to hit Afghanistan, flash floods in the eastern province of Nangarhar last week killed at least 71 people, according to the UN.
The Taliban's seizure of power led international donors to immediately cut international development funding. While some foreign aid organizations continue to operate in Afghanistan, many of them have been forced to curb their work as international funding diminishes.
That's all from me for now.
Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org
Until next time,
Abubakar Siddique
If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.
Iran Hangs Kurdish Prisoner Convicted Of Killing Cleric
An Iranian Kurdish prisoner convicted of killing a cleric has been executed despite complaints from rights groups over a lack of transparency in the judicial process.
Kamran Sheikheh had been in jail for almost 15 years before he was hanged in a prison in Urmia, West Azerbaijan Province, in the early hours of July 25.
Sheikheh was the last of seven people convicted of and executed for the September 2008 killing of Abdolrahim Tina, a congregational prayer leader in Sheikheh’s hometown of Mahabad. All seven people were executed in the last eight months, according to the Kurdish rights group Hengaw.
Amnesty International had long insisted that all seven suspects were sentenced to death in “grossly unfair trials marred by claims of torture” to exact confessions. Hengaw said the trials were “illegal and not transparent.”
Aside from murder, they were also accused of being Salafists -- an ultraradical sect under Sunni Islam.
In an open letter years ago, Sheikheh and the other six suspects denied all charges and alleged that they were subjected to various forms of torture, including mock executions, sleep deprivation, and being hung from the ceiling.
As of July 25, at least 286 people have been executed in Iranian prisons this year, according to Iran Human Rights.
According to Amnesty, Iran carried out 853 executions in 2023, with at least 481 executions for narcotics convictions.
In April, Amnesty accused the Islamic republic of “weaponizing the death penalty” to target “protesters, dissidents, and members of oppressed ethnic minorities” and called for “a robust global response” to pressure Tehran to implement a moratorium on the death penalty.
- By Kian Sharifi
Call To Investigate Iran's 1980s 'Genocide' A Step Toward Ending 'Cycle Of Impunity'
A UN expert has accused Iran of committing genocide in the 1980s, when thousands of political prisoners as well as members of religious and ethnic minorities were executed.
Javaid Rehman, the UN's special rapporteur on the rights situation in Iran, said in a July 22 report that the summary and extrajudicial executions during 1981-82 and in 1988 amounted to crimes against humanity as well as genocide.
It is not the first time the mass executions have been described as genocide. But observers say Rehman's findings were an important step toward holding the Islamic republic accountable for its crimes.
"I think this may be one of the most important reports by a special rapporteur in recent years," Mahmud Amiri-Moghaddam, director of the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
"It brings attention to the early 1980s, when the Islamic republic committed huge crimes, but nothing was ever done about them," he added.
Human rights lawyers say Rehman's findings could lead to the UN launching an international probe into crimes committed during the first decade of the establishment of the Islamic republic in 1979.
'Systematic Patterns'
Iran's new clerical rulers executed and forcibly disappeared thousands of political opponents between June 1981 and March 1982, according to Rehman's report.
The victims were "arbitrarily detained and subjected to systematic patterns of enforced disappearance, torture and summary, arbitrary and extrajudicial executions on religiously motivated and vaguely defined charges," the report said.
Women, some reportedly raped before being killed, and hundreds of children were among those executed, the report said.
Most of the victims, the UN expert said, were members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), an exiled opposition group, as well as leftist parties and groups.
Rehman also drew attention to the executions and killings of members of the Baha'i community in the 1980s, when at least 200 followers were killed, according to rights groups.
Rehman said Baha'is -- Iran's largest non-Muslim minority -- were "targeted with genocidal intent and persecution."
During the summer of 1988, an estimated 5,000 prisoners were secretly executed in prisons. Many of the victims were members of the MKO, which had aligned with Baghdad during the devastating 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War.
Prisoners were sent to their deaths following interrogations that lasted just a few minutes, according to rights groups.
Former prison official Hamid Nouri in 2022 became the first, and only, Iranian official to be convicted for his role in the executions, though he was ultimately released as part of a prisoner swap between Stockholm and Tehran.
"The Iranian regime and its leaders should not be allowed to escape the consequences of their crimes against humanity and genocide," Rehman wrote in his report.
Rehman's findings were issued ahead of his mandate ending on July 31. He was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but does not speak on behalf of the UN.
Iran has rejected Rehman's report and accused him of "serving the interests" of the MKO.
Accountability Mechanism
Rehman is not the first to accuse Tehran of committing genocide in the 1980s.
A 2011 report commissioned by the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, a U.S.-based organization that promotes human rights in Iran, said the mass executions in 1988 amounted to genocide.*
But Rehman's allegations encompass the frenzy of executions that took place during the entire decade.
Gissou Nia, a human rights lawyer and director of the Strategic Litigation Project at the Atlantic Council in Washington, says the special rapporteur's findings can set the stage for the UN to "establish some further inquiry that has a documentation and accountability function."
This is in line with Rehman's own recommendation for the establishment of an independent international investigative and accountability mechanism.
"What is incredibly important is that some of the perpetrators of the 1988 massacre continue to travel or have children in jurisdictions that do have the ability to prosecute atrocity crimes," Nia told RFE/RL.
"There really needs to be a push on national court systems that have obligations to prosecute extraterritorial crimes under universal jurisdiction," she added
Some of those implicated in the executions rose to powerful positions in the Islamic republic, including late President Ebrahim Raisi and former Justice Minister Mostafa Purmohammadi.
"These guys continue to enjoy the highest offices in the Islamic republic, and this is just unacceptable," Nia said. "The cycle of impunity really does need to end."
*CORRECTION: A previous version of this story identified the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center as a U.K.-based organization. It is based in the United States.
With reporting by Elaheh Ravanshad of RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Iran Hangs 8 In 2 Days Amid Concerns Over Rise In Executions After Election
Rights groups say Iranian authorities executed eight people over the weekend, bolstering concerns that the regime may accelerate the carrying out of death sentences after a lull ahead a snap presidential election held earlier this month.
The human rights-focused news agency HRANA reported that four people, including an Afghan national, were hanged on July 21 in Qezel Hesar prison in Karaj. The news agency said they were convicted of drug-related charges.
Rights groups have documented a sharp rise in the number of Afghans executed in Iran, with activists saying they do not get fair trials.
Separately, the Oslo-based organization Iran Human Rights said four people, including a woman, were hanged on July 20 in a prison in Shiraz. Three of them were convicted of murder and one was found guilty of rape.
Earlier this month, Iran Human Rights said executions had dropped by 30 percent in the first six months of 2024 but warned that it could pick up following the snap presidential election.
Reformist lawmaker Masud Pezeshkian beat ultraconservative rival Saeed Jalili in a runoff vote on July 5.
Human Rights Watch on July 15 urged Pezeshkian to fight the rising number of executions in Iran.
As of July 22, at least 268 people have been executed in Iranian prisons this year, more than half of whom were convicted on drug-related charges, according to Iran Human Rights.
Amnesty International says Iran carried out 853 executions in 2023, with at least 481 executions for narcotics convictions.
Because the Iranian government does not publish official statistics on the number of executions, international and Iranian rights groups document cases using open-source data such as state media and human rights organizations.
Iranian Police Question Women Who Marched In Religious Festival Without Head Scarves
A video widely shared on social media on July 16 shows women in the Iranian city of Karaj appearing without hijabs, or Islamic head scarves, at a procession marking Ashura, the holiest day on the Shi'ite religious calendar. Police officials said that they had identified some of the women and called them in for questioning. Their appearance at the religious festival is part of a broader movement of Iranian women rejecting the Islamic dress code and risking a sometimes brutal response from the authorities.
'Overwhelming Sorrow': Imprisoned Iranian Nobel Laureate Marks 9 Years Since Seeing Her Children
Kiana and Ali Rahmani were only 8 years old when they left Iran to reunite with their father, Taqi Rahmani, who had fled the country as the Iranian authorities sought to arrest him.
Their mother, activist Narges Mohammadi, could only imagine the scene from her jail cell as her children would be taken from her for an "unknown" period of time and endure a "separation that would make me a stranger to my children and them unfamiliar to me."
“I haven’t seen my mom in nine years. I have become used to growing up without a mother,” Kiana, now 17, told Roya Maleki of RFE/RL’s Radio Farda as she marked another anniversary of separation from her mother on July 16.
“My father is a good dad; he has been both a father and a mother,” she added.
In a statement posted on her website on July 16, Mohammadi recalled staying awake through the night in her prison cell on July 16, 2015, knowing her children would be on a plane to France soon.
The separation, she said, “felt like vanishing into a misty void of lost connections, tearing a mother and her children apart, leaving us in an indescribable abyss of heartache and longing.”
"A separation that would turn me into an unfamiliar woman to my children, bearing the name ‘mother’ in a ‘misplaced’ manner," she added.
Mohammadi, 52, has been campaigning for human rights in Iran for decades and has been in and out of prison in the last 20 years. She has been convicted five times since March 2021 and is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence.
She is currently in jail for “spreading propaganda” against the Islamic republic.
Kiana recalls that it was “difficult” going through adolescence as a young girl without her mother, forcing her to turn to her friends and other women for advice.
“I had to learn things that a mother should teach her daughter. I had to ask my friends or their mothers whenever I had a question because I did not have a mother,” she said.
Despite remaining behind bars for so long, Mohammadi has remained at the forefront of Iran's women's rights movement.
Her efforts were honored last October when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Her children accepted the award on her behalf in December.
Kiana said the award raised her mother’s spirits but worsened her conditions in prison because it led to further restrictions, such as limited visiting privileges and phone calls.
Despite not seeing their mother for half of their lives, Ali said they had learned from their mother to “defend our brothers and sisters” from the Middle East.
“We come from a place where there is little freedom and war is constant,” he added.
In her statement, Mohammadi bemoaned that not seeing her children for so long would make her a “stranger” to them.
“I hope my children understand that I, like all imprisoned mothers…was a loving mother whose heart still aches with overwhelming sorrow for her children,” she wrote.